inveigh

American  

[in-vey] / ɪnˈveɪ /

verb (used without object)

1. to protest strongly or attack vehemently with words; rail (usually followed byagainst ).

   to inveigh against isolationism.

   Synonyms:

   revile, harangue

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inveigh British  

/ ɪnˈveɪ /

verb

1. to speak with violent or invective language; rail

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Other Word Forms

• inveigher noun
• uninveighing adjective

Etymology

Origin of inveigh

1480–90; < Latin invehī to attack with words, equivalent to in- in- ² + vehī passive infinitive of vehere to ride, drive, sail ( cf. wain)

Explanation

Picture an old man banging his fist on the dinner table, inveighing against the evils of teenagers being allowed to listen to music and dance. Inveigh means to rail against something with hostility and passion. Related to vehicle, inveigh comes from Latin in- + vehere "to carry." During the Vietnam War, war protesters held rallies where young men burned their draft cards and inveighed against the imperialist motives by which our country was being driven and the war's escalation without its ever being properly authorized in Congress.

Example Sentences

But the law was popular in Uganda, a landlocked nation of over 48 million people, where religious and political leaders frequently inveigh against homosexuality.

From New York Times • Apr. 3, 2024

The intersection between people who love crypto and angrily inveigh against “cancel culture” is large and vocal, and the Millegan affair has thrown them all for a loop.

From The Verge • Feb. 11, 2022

And Applewhite, who calls herself an “author and activist,” doesn’t just inveigh against stereotypes; she wants to nuke them, replacing terms like “seniors” and “the elderly” with “olders.”

From The New Yorker • Oct. 28, 2019

So why would a president inveigh against it?

From Nature • Oct. 22, 2019

It is not necessary to be a prude or a skinny old harridan either, to inveigh against the custom.

From Rosemary and Rue by Amber